Inside Small Business | Small Business & Home Business Marketing
82 Rejections During A Single Sales Call Leads To Major GREEN!
Monte Resnick, Founder Ambition Partners International
He has been described as, “The World’s Greatest Salesperson” and has received international recognition for nearly 50 years. Millions of people have studied his story of persistence, self-confidence and belief. He is unequivocally a master of the “art of the question” and is prepared for each and every objection. We have come to know this sales legend as, “Sam-I-Am”.
Dr. Seuss’ fictional sales master exhibits several key characteristics of the most prolific sales champions. Let’s explore the top five:
Clarity: Any question as to Sam’s chief objective throughout the “sales meeting”? Sam is explicitly clear from beginning to end as to his purpose and value proposition. He is working “in the zone” and no matter how many times his proposition is rejected, he maintains his focus. How clear are you when speaking with your prospects or clients? If you walk into a meeting with a “fuzzy” picture of your expected outcome, that’s exactly what you will get. Here’s a simple yet highly effective action item: Write out your key objective before each meeting. What is it you would like to see occur? How will you measure the success of this meeting? It need not be on anything more formal than a scratch piece of paper – but write it down!
Confidence: After years of reading this book to my children, it occurred to me that Sam’s “prospect” was hardly his first. How else could he boast so much self-confidence in the face of so much rejection? Have you ever noticed how your confidence level jumps off the charts after you engage a successful relationship or sale? This confidence needs to be harnessed and made available to you each and every time you engage a new relationship or are in the face of a challenging sale. Make room in your permanent “hard drive” to store the accolades and appreciation you have no doubt received from other clients and relationships over the years for helping them make great decisions! There is no doubt that Sam’s confidence was boosted after making this very difficult sale which ended with his prospect loving his product. (As a side note, the best time to call your toughest prospect is right after you’ve made a new sale, or engaged in a rewarding relationship). Action Item: Create a “raving fans” file and place client letters and testimonials in it. Review this file just before embarking on a new relationship or sales call. This exercise will put you in the right state of mind.
Flexibility: “Would you like them here or there?” Sam focuses on trying to find common ground with his prospect. With each rejection, he responds by painting a new picture (with the green eggs and ham in it of course!). While Sam attempts to guess at the most favorable venue to gain his prospect’s acceptance, you should be armed with this information ahead of your meeting. If you do not know your prospect well, make sure to engage his / her “gatekeeper”. They are often your best resource for valuable information – information that may very well place your prospect in a great mood to see you. Bottom line, be prepared to change the scenery every now and then.
Persistence: Question – was this Sam’s first sales call to this particular prospect? The story leads us to believe that it may not be. The very first time we meet Sam’s prospect, he shares his dislike for Sam. Sam’s persistence is exemplified throughout the story. He is so certain that his prospect will love his product”, he will not give up until he receives a commitment for a trial taste.
Believability: Sam believes in himself. Sam believes in his product. He therefore does not accept rejection personally. People buy believability and passion. There’s a great saying, “believe in yourself or no one else will”. Have you ever purchased a product from a T.V. infomercial? We all have. The most successful infomercials are those which are the most believable. Sometimes we buy things we didn’t even know we needed. Why is that? Believability!
Posted on Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at 12:13 pm and is filed under Marketing, Sales. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
